Creating Autoethnographies

Arts with offenders: A literature synthesis

“…She asserts that in some arts-based qualitative research, 'both data collection and presentation of findings legitimately involve creative methods including poetry, image and performance ' (p.36-7), and while this type of research is growing within the field of mental health (e.g. Muncey, 2010), 'signposts are not as clear as in the hard sciences' (Meekums, 2010, p. 37). Meekums praises the value system of such arts-based research, and the 'truthfulness' of narrative and auto-ethnographical alternatives to 'the dominant discourse of scientific positivism ' (p. 37), where learning through dialogue and multiple perspectives, engagement with the creative process, a willingness to be changed by the encounter, and the allowing of 'notknowingness' open arts therapies research to ways of understanding that have been omitted by scientifically quantitative approaches.…”

Fieldwork, Biography and Emotion

“…Beyond this however the prospect of an authoritative definition is somewhat slim due to the breadth of works that can be considered 'autoethnographic' -there is even some debate as to whether or not the depth of this field precludes it being recognisable as a research methodology (Muncey, 2010). To illustrate this point, Denzin's (2014: vii-viii) introductory overview of autoethnography recounts fifteen distinguishable variants of it in the preface alone.…”

Transpersonal Psychology and an Agnostic Experiential Exploration of Mediumship and the Ostensible Phenomenon of Life after Death

“…However, unlike strict ethnographic research, autoethnography places significant weight upon the researcher's feelings, thoughts, perspectives, experiences, reflections, insights, and personal stories. Also, this method often involves a high level of personal vulnerability and exposure on the part of the researcher, by revealing emotional or private aspects of themselves (Chang, 2008;Ellis & Bochner, 2000;Ellis, 2004Ellis, , 2009Muncy, 2010;Short, Turner, & Grant, 2013). Although Hunter (2009aHunter ( , 2009b did not use the term autoethnography (instead, he used the term "experiential ethnography method"), his description of the value of including his own experiences in investigating ostensible spirit mediumship is highly relevant:…”